Welcome Home
by AlwaysEachOther
Summary: "I really missed you, Fi." His voice lowered and deepened, a tell tale sign that he was feeling vulnerable. "And for a moment, I thought maybe you hadn't missed me." A companion piece to 4.01 Friends and Enemies, looking into Michael's thoughts and feelings after his return home. Michael and Fi with appearances by our favourite Sam Axe.


_Hi guys. This is a story I've been working on for ages, so I'm happy to be finally publishing it. Season four is my favourite season, and I love the scenes between Michael and Fi in episode 4.01, although there are a few things that I would have liked to see, so I wrote them myself. This story is a mixture of scenes from the show, a deleted scene from the dvd special features, and my own scenes. I write a lot of stories where Michael takes care of Fi, so I wanted to do one where she's really caring for him, particularly after everything that happened at the end of season three and the evolution of their relationship. I think the way he acted towards her in this episode really showed how his feelings towards her had really deepened. I've got another one-shot that I'm hoping to publish soon, and I'm working on finally getting the first chapter of my multi-chapter story up. Reviews on this story would definitely serve as motivation ;) Also, I have changed my username from DancerGirl136 to AlwaysEachOther. Since I only write for Burn Notice these days, I wanted my username to reflect my favourite couple. So it is still me! I hope you enjoy this story. As always, I do not own anything from Burn Notice, including the lines from the episode that I have used._

/

 _The strain of having a loved one disappear for weeks affects people differently. Spend enough time as a covert operative and you know better than to try to predict the outcome of a long awaited reunion._

Michael made the familiar drive from his mother's house to Fiona's, a million thoughts running through his mind. He'd gone to visit his mom as soon as he'd returned to reassure her that he was okay, but she'd understood how badly he needed to see Fiona, even without him saying it. The last time he'd seen Fi was as she'd tried to follow him, and he'd told her to stay, as he'd run off to deal with Simon. He'd had a lot of time to think while Vaughn had kept him locked up, and while he'd tried to keep his mind focused on the files he'd been given to study, his thoughts had continually drifted back to her. He'd missed her more than he was willing to admit, even to himself. In his many days and nights alone he'd had plenty of time to contemplate what she was doing, how she was doing. He'd hoped she wasn't too worried for him, for she didn't deserve that. The only way he'd been able to sleep was to imagine her body lying next to his, the way that they often were in the loft, or occasionally at her condo.

He pulled the Charger to a stop outside Fi's place, and sat staring at the building for a moment. He was so close to her right now, closer than he had been in weeks. Unable to wait any longer, he slid out of his car and made his way to her. Finding the front door unlocked, he slid through it and turned his head, his eyes immediately falling to her.

Her head rose at the sound of the door opening, and her expression shifted to one of shock and surprise at the sight of him. He smiled softly at her, taking in her familiar form. His Fi. She looked the same as she always did, standing at the table as she loaded various guns with ammunition.

Her shock wearing off quickly, she made her way over to him, relief overtaking her fine features. "Michael. Thank God." She murmured.

She stopped in front of him, her hands rising to frame his face as she pulled him towards her. He couldn't hide his smile, returning the kisses that she planted upon his lips.

She pulled back and smiled at him, before promptly turning around and returning to her work with the guns. His eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Fi?" he asked in confusion, following her over to the table.

"I'm sorry, we're in the middle of something." She apologised quickly, before handing him a gun. "Here, load this."

Michael took the weapon and listened as she explained about her and Sam's case that had gotten out of hand, which involved a lawyer and a biker gang. The sound of a car horn cut her off, and she picked up the bags of guns, smiling at him and cocking her head towards the door.

"Come on."

Still confused, Michael grabbed the weapons he'd just loaded and hurried out the door behind her.

Before he knew it, he was in Sam's car, listening to him and Fiona bicker as they always did, arguing over whose fault the case was. His attempts to gain their attention didn't work as they continued to place the blame for their current predicament on each other.

"Guys! Guys! I have a loaded machine pistol in my hand, and I have no idea what I'm doing!" Michael yelled, finally getting their attention.

"Ok, here's the short version." Sam quickly explained the situation to him. "Bottom line here, Mike, this whole business needs a little Michael Westen."

The spy glared at his best friend's words, although they comforted him slightly, reassuring him that they did in fact still need him.

They finally made it to the client, Winston's house, and noticed three bikers looking very serious, a pile of burning money lying on the lawn. Michael took charge immediately, falling back into his usual role as leader of the team.

"All right, hang back. Don't make a move unless things go bad." He instructed.

"And if things go bad?" Sam asked.

"Well, it was nice seeing you guys again." He replied in his usual dramatic way, still managing keeping his tone light.

/

He'd managed to save the situation, and Winston's life, but his brain was still working over time as he tried to process everything that had happened in the last hour. Sam had taken responsibility for Winston, helping the client collect some things before heading to the loft to meet him and Fi.

Fi jumped out of the car to open the gate for him, and waited as he reversed back.

"I'm sorry about all that. We told Winston to stay out of sight, but, you know, I guess they didn't go over negotiating with biker gangs in law school." She rambled as she made her way to the rear end of the car. She waited for Michael to open the trunk for her, but he stood with his arms folded on the roof of the car, silent as ever.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"Nothing." He grumbled slightly, opening the trunk for her.

She peered around the rear door of the car, staring at him. He had a slightly disgruntled, sulking expression covering his handsome face. _It's rather adorable, actually_ , she thought to herself in amusement.

"Are you pouting?" She asked indignantly. He turned his face away from her as she spoke. "You think I just moved on with my life? Is that it?" She asked teasingly.

"Well, I mean, I disappeared, Fi." He said as he made his way over to her. "I come back and you and Sam are taking clients, acting like nothing ever happened."

The sharp slap that she delivered to his cheek caught him by surprise. Is it weird that he had kind of missed that?

"Don't you dare say that! Don't you dare." She told him fiercely, her blazing eyes displaying her emotions so clearly.

"Sam and I kicked in every door we could think of. We took a job out of respect for you because we knew that's what you would've wanted."

Michael hung his head slightly, his eyes focused on the ground. He knew she was right. Fiona watched him, realising that he was feeling insecure, for some reason.

"Well," she said, her voice softening. "Let's do this right. Welcome home."

Her hands reached back up to frame his face, and she kissed him softly as she had only an hour or so earlier, although this time she wrapped her arms around his neck, rather than running back to her weaponry.

Michael responded by letting her pull him into his arms, feeling instantly comforted by her touch. He hadn't realised how much he'd needed it.

Fiona sighed softly, her breath washing over his shoulder. "What happened to you?" she asked, pulling back to look into his eyes. "Knowing you, I'm not sure if I'm more worried about where you were, or why you're back."

He explained briefly what he was going to be doing, and as expected, Fiona was not impressed. She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes as he tried to justify his new mission.

"I've seen first hand what I'm up against. One fight at a time, Fi." He told her.

"You know what you're doing." She said dismissively, taking her bags over to the bench behind the fence. "Go on up. I'll get the charger."

Unsure of how to continue the conversation without angering her further, he hesitated briefly before heading up the stairs and into the loft.

Fiona unpacked the bag in frustration, tossing things aside and resting her forehead on a clenched fist. Not even five minutes of being together again and they were already arguing. Couldn't things ever be simple for a moment?

She'd missed him so much while he'd been gone. Not knowing where he was or who had taken him had made her worry more than she'd like to admit, so she'd thrown herself back into work with Sam as a way to distract herself and channel her energy. Now Michael was back, and they couldn't even get a moment to celebrate before jumping straight into the next mission.

She sighed to herself as she finished unpacking the bag. She would just do what needed to be done, as always. There would be time for her and Michael to reconnect later.

/

Later that day, the two of them sat outside Madeline's house, each making a duplicate key that would get Fiona in to the biker's clubhouse. Sam had distracted the biker, Hunter, while Fi had measured and photographed the keys on his chain, with the hope that one of them would give her access to the office. They worked in comfortable silence, focusing on the task at hand, as they always did.

Michael had to admit to himself that he had missed times like this over the last few weeks. Working with Fiona was familiar, something that went all the way back to their days in Ireland together. She was always good company, and a valuable source of assistance, no matter what the task was.

Finishing the task, Fi blew some dust from her key into Michael's face, pulling his focus towards her. She loved annoying him to get his attention. Oh, how she'd missed the chance to do so over the last few weeks.

Michael smiled back at her wryly. He didn't mind her antics nearly as much as he pretended to.

"One of these will get you into the office. The trick will be getting you out with the account numbers." He made his way towards her, handing his key over.

"I'll think of something." She mused, taking the key from him and studying it carefully.

"You always do." He replied softly.

She turned to face him, her eyes bright. He stared back at her, his expression tender in a way that it only was when she was concerned.

"I'm glad you're back. I missed this." She whispered the words that both of them had been feeling, but had been unable to say. She leaned in close, pressing her nose to his and rubbing her hand up and down his chest.

His hands rose to cup the back of her head, threading his fingers into her hair. "Fi, I-" His mouth was right against hers, about to tell her how much he'd missed her, to close the slight distance between their lips, when his mother walked out and interrupted them. She really had the most inconvenient timing. It was as if the rest of the world didn't care how much he'd missed Fi.

Madeleine handed them both a glass of iced tea, her interactions with her son tense for all to see. She quickly returned into the house.

"What is wrong with your mom, Michael? Just so you know, that is not how mothers usually act when they've been questioned by the FBI and their sons are carted off to God knows where! You should talk to her."

"She's processing it all." He said dismissively.

"Processing is digging through old photo albums while gorging on ice-cream. This is something else. You have to talk to her." Fiona urged him.

"Let's make sure you survive the psychotic bikers, and then I'll deal with the hard stuff." Michael rationalised.

"I like my chances better than yours." Fiona said frankly.

The two of them held their keys up for inspection, satisfied with their work.

/

They'd finally sorted out the biker job, with Big Ed calling off the hit and making Winston part of the Breakers. The team, along with Winston, drove back to the club's headquarters so Fi could pick up her car and drop Winston home, now that it was safe for him to do so.

"So, how 'bout that beer, brother?" Sam asked.

"Sounds good, Sam." Michael smiled back at his best friend. He had to admit he'd missed the older man's antics over the last few weeks.

Sam stayed in his car to wait for him, as he walked Fi back to her own car.

"Come over tonight?" He requested quietly, opening her door for her. "I'll call you when I'm done?"

She smiled at him and nodded, kissing his cheek softly before climbing into her vehicle and driving away.

Michael watched as she left before climbing back into Sam's car next to him.

The two men took a table at Carlito's, Michael smiling to himself as he observed that nothing had changed.

"Two beers, a mojito and an iced tea, please sweetheart!" Sam called to one of the waitresses. It certainly helped that he was on a first name basis with all of them.

"So Mike, what happened to ya?" Sam's voice seemed casual, but Michael could see the concern in his friend's eyes.

He explained what he had been doing in the last few weeks, from the secret facility and Vaughn, to their trip to the jungle, and his job now that he was back in Miami.

"So, did you tell Fi what you're going to be doing?" Sam asked. At the younger man's nod he added, "How did that go?" with his eyebrows raised.

Michael sighed. "About as well as I expected. She doesn't understand why I would want to do this, now that Simon's locked up again."

Sam nodded, having expected the same as Michael. He'd gotten to know Fi quite well over the last few years, and their shared hatred of each other had slowly evolved into mutual respect and friendship. While he'd originally warned Michael to stay away from the hot headed and wild tempered Irishwoman, believing that she was nothing but trouble, he now understand where she was coming from when she objected to the burned spy working to get his job back. He'd also witnessed her behaviour over the last few weeks while his best friend had been gone.

"You know, Mike," he started cautiously. "It was a hard few weeks for her. Not that she'd ever say as much."

Michael's brow furrowed in confusion, so Sam continued.

"We were trying so hard to find you, obviously we both wanted to, but I didn't think I'd ever see her act more extreme than she already has before. I had to stop her from actually killing a few people I reckon, with the way it was going."

Michael just stared at his friend in surprise, and let the ex-SEAL keep talking.

"She spent most of her time at the loft, except when I could get her to come to your mom's with me. She only really started acting like herself again once I found us a job to do."

Michael's gaze dropped to the table below. He now realised that working had been the only thing to keep Fi sane. While he'd been away he hadn't expected her life to stop, but returning to find her hard at work with Sam had hit a few nerves. Now, hearing his friend tell him how hard she'd taken his absence had shed some light on the situation. He hadn't expected her to stay at the loft either, although when he'd returned he had wondered who had cleaned up the glass from the window he had shattered when escaping from the authorities.

"I didn't think …" Michael trailed off, still in thought.

Sam nodded in understanding. "That girl's not just crazy, Mike, she's crazy about you."

Michael nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I'd better go see my mom. I haven't had a chance to talk to her about everything that went down." He sighed.

"Yeah, you should do that." Sam agreed. "Oh, and Mike?" he called out as his friend started to leave. Michael turned back to face him. "Good to have you back, brother."

Michael smiled and nodded before turning and leaving, heading towards his mother's house.

/

Michael slid into the driver's seat of his car, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. His conversation with his mom had been a lot harder than he'd anticipated. He really didn't enjoy being so vulnerable with anyone, and letting his fears be spoken out loud was something he hated. Still, his mom had been caring and supportive, trying to convince him his fears were unwarranted. He was still not sure that he believed her, but he was feeling a little better.

He stared at his cell phone that he held in his hand. He'd promised to call Fi, but he didn't particularly feel like letting more people see him in the state he was in. Still, he reasoned with himself, it would nice to spend the night with her. Plus, knowing Fiona as well as he did, she would not have forgotten his earlier promise, and was probably awaiting his call.

He dialled the familiar number and held the device to his ear, hearing it ring no more than three times before she picked up.

"Hey, Fi. I'm just leaving my mom's now if you want to come over to the loft?"

"I'm already here, Michael, so I'll see you when you get back." She informed him.

Michael couldn't even stop the smile from spreading across his face. _Typical, Fi_.

"Alright, I'll see you soon." He conceded, hanging up and shifting the car into drive.

He made his way back to the loft, feeling a sense of familiarity wash over him as he made his way up the stairs. Never before had he expected to feel happiness from familiar actions or places. That's not how spies were wired. As alarming as that should've made him feel, he pushed those worries aside for tonight. Right now, he simply didn't care. He could be all business as usual again tomorrow.

Pushing the door open, his eyes immediately fell to Fiona, who was moving herself about in the small kitchen. A familiar scent filled his nose, as he recognised what she had been doing in his absence that afternoon.

"Tuna tahini?" He asked, smiling as he noticed his favourite meal that Fiona was serving onto two plates.

The Irishwoman nodded in affirmation. "I figured you probably haven't eaten very well the last few weeks."

Michael nodded wryly. "You could say that."

He took a seat at the kitchen bench, waiting for Fi to join him on the opposite side before he began eating. He reached one hand across the bench to rest it over hers as they ate. She looked at him in surprise, but turned back to her meal without questioning it, choosing to enjoy the warmth of his gesture.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Fiona spoke up.

"I'm sorry you didn't get quite the welcome home you were expecting." She told him.

Michael shook his head. "No, Fi, I'm sorry. I was behaving like a child."

A small smirk formed on her lips as she nodded at him. "Yes, you were."

He grinned right back, knowing she was right. They smiled at each other for a long moment before his expression turned serious again.

"I really missed you, Fi." His voice lowered and deepened, a tell tale sign that he was feeling vulnerable. "And for a moment, I thought maybe you hadn't missed me." He avoided her gaze, keeping his eyes trained on the bench below.

Fiona stared at him in shock, unsure if she should laugh or scoff at him. _Perhaps I should slap him again_ she considered briefly, before shaking the thought away. For him to be so incredibly honest with her meant he must have truly been through a great deal while he'd been gone.

"Michael," she began slowly. "That may be the stupidest thing you've ever said." She reached across the bench to cup his cheek with her palm, forcing him to raise his eyes to her. " _Of course_ I missed you."

His bright blue eyes bore into hers, allowing her to see the depth of his emotions within. He was so good at hiding behind his walls, but she knew she was the one person who could see beyond them to how he was truly feeling.

Sliding down from her seat, she walked to the other side of the bench and wrapped her arms around him tightly. They weren't ordinarily ones to show too much affection, but the way she saw it, she was making up for weeks of his absence. She was surprised, and pleased, to feel his arms tighten around her in response, seeking her comfort rather than just accepting it. He was never this open with her, which caused her to wonder what he had dealt with in the weeks he'd been missing.

"What happened to you, Michael?" she asked softly. While he'd explained what he was working on, he hadn't told her what had gone on during his weeks away, and she was more than slightly concerned.

When Madeline had called and explained that her son had gone missing from police custody, Fiona had been as close to frantic as she'd ever felt. Sure, he'd left before, multiple times actually, but this time he hadn't made the decision to do so himself. Not knowing where he was or who had taken him had been the hardest part. For days after he'd left she'd allowed herself to wallow, something she rarely did. She and Sam had spent their days searching for the missing covert operative and running down leads. She'd used violence to get information out of a few too many people, even with Sam attempting to hold her back. It hadn't been the same as Michael trying to stop her when she let her emotions get the better of her, as he so often put it. After pushing herself to exhaustion each day, she would return home at night to collapse into bed, where his presence would take over her dreams. Most nights she didn't even make it back to her condo, choosing to hang at the loft, a small part of her hoping that he would walk in through the door. While part of her wanted to mock herself for acting so love stricken, the other part of her simply didn't care. She'd given herself a good week or so of behaving that way until Sam had helped her snap out of it, by helping her see reason and asking for her help on a job. For Michael to think she hadn't missed him was the most ridiculous thing imaginable. She had physically felt the pain of his absence in her chest for weeks, and it was only through reminding herself of who she was that she'd been able to get on with life as normal.

" _I thought I lost you."_

" _I came back, Fi."_

" _You left, Michael."_

They were in such a different space, relationship wise, since the last few times he'd disappeared. She felt confident with her role within his life, as confident as she could possibly feel with him, that is. When he'd walked in through her door she'd felt her heart soar, even though she'd been sure her eyes were deceiving her. Had she not been in the middle of the situation with Sam and Winston, she definitely would've shown him how much she missed him, right then and there.

She rubbed a hand across his back as she waited for him to answer.

The dark haired operative sighed heavily. "I was at this private holding facility. They kept me locked up most of the time, looking at files. They wanted my help with this whole war thing that lead to Simon being released."

"And where is Simon now?"

"They assured me he's locked up tight." Fiona could feel the tension re-enter his body as he spoke about the psychotic Simon.

"It's ok, Michael. He's not here anymore." She soothed him.

"He said I was like him." Michael's voice was so quiet that she almost didn't hear him, despite the fact that she still had her body pressed against his.

"What?" She asked softly, unsure of what she had just heard.

Michael squeezed his eyes shut tightly, regretting the words that had fallen from his lips. He'd made it through talking to his mom, but he hadn't planned on telling Fi, although she would have a bit more of an understanding of the situation than his mother did.

"He told me it wasn't long before I was just like him." He repeated softly.

Fiona wrenched herself away from his body, her eyes widening as she took in his words. She held him at arms length, before bringing her hands up to cup his face between her palms. No wonder he looked so rattled.

"Michael Westen, you listen to me." Her voice was deathly quiet, and her face set in an expression of complete seriousness. "You are _nothing_ like that maniac. He was just trying to get into your head, and you know better than to let him. You are a good person, and nothing he said to you can change that. Okay?"

Michael nodded slightly, bringing his hands up to cover hers on his face.

"Thanks, Fi." He whispered.

She nodded back at him, staring into his blue eyes.

The two of them stood there in his kitchen, eyes locked together for a few minutes. Michael finally broke the silence, somewhat reluctantly.

"Fi, I could really use your help with this thing for Vaughn tomorrow." Michael asked hesitantly. She'd made her feelings on his working for the guy who burned him quite clear, but he didn't want to do it without back up, particularly her back up.

She sighed heavily, maintaining her eye contact with him. She may not be thrilled with what he was about to do, but she knew instantly that she would do anything to help him. She nodded at him in answer.

A weight lifted off of Michael's chest seeing her agree.

"Thank you, Fi." He said sincerely.

His arms drifted down to wrap around her waist, his hands resting on the small of her back. He dipped his head down to meet hers, his lips hovering inches away from hers.

"I missed you." He whispered.

Fiona fell forward into his body, connecting their lips. She brought her hand up to cup his strong jaw, the other one gripping at the back of his neck.

"I missed you, too." She gasped in between kisses.

Michael slid down from his stool and slowly walked her backwards until the back of her legs hit the edge of his mattress. She slowly sank to the bed, pulling his down so he hovered above her. She pulled away to look into his eyes. They were brighter than before, and slightly less clouded than they had been since his return home.

He smiled at her in the way that he only ever did for her, and her heart basically melted (not that she would _ever_ admit it). She smiled back, and pulled him back down towards her.

Michael willingly gave in to her advances. This was everything he'd missed over the last few weeks. His Fi, here with him.

/

Some time later, Fiona lay sprawled across Michael's upper body, both of them breathing heavily. She tilted her head up to kiss his strong jawline gently. His eyes closed at her tender ministrations. She stroked her fingertips up and down his cheek softly, so happy to have him back within reach.

They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes before Fiona pushed herself up from the bed, slipping out from under the sheets. She barely made it one step away before Michael's hand was encircling her wrist, pulling her attention back to him.

"Stay, please." His quiet voice asked.

The expression in his eyes jolted her heart. He still looked so fragile, as much as that was possible for the stoic spy. As if she could ever leave him.

She leant back down to kiss his lips softly. "I will, I'm just going to the bathroom, and I'll make sure the door's locked. Okay?"

Michael nodded against her, feeling foolish for being so clingy, so unlike himself. Turning onto his side, he closed his eyes and listened out for the sound of Fi returning.

A few minutes later she made her way back to the side of the bed that she always slept on, and slid under the covers. She crawled her way over to Michael, pressing her body flush against his back. She pressed a soft kiss to his bare back, in between his shoulder blades.

"Welcome home, Michael."

Allowing himself to relax, Michael fell into a deep sleep for the first time in weeks, comforted by Fiona's presence. Tomorrow would be back to business as usual, but at least he would have her by his side.


End file.
